Lake Plan Limits Visitors To 615 Per Day, Requires Permit
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) — After overcrowding, trail graffiti, vandalism and other damage to Hanging Lake, the U.S. Forest Service is proposing visitor limits, fees and a mandatory shuttle program to help combat the crowds. Up to 1,200 visitors venture to the lake a day during the summer.
The Forest Service released their proposed plan for the area in Glenwood Canyon on Tuesday morning. The public now has 30 days for comment.
The proposed plan looks to limit the number of visitors to the area to 615 people per day as part of a reservation, fee-based program.
During peak summer months from May 1 through Oct. 31, a third party vendor would operate a shuttle to the trail, eliminating the parking issues that plague the popular spot.
The proposed plan is now subject to a 30-day public comment period.
The Forest Service is also working with Federal Highway Administration to remove the Hanging Lake rest stop from an emergency pull-off designation.
Additional Information from the U.S. Forest Service:
Specific written comments on the proposed project will be accepted until midnight, Sept. 21, 2017, or 30 calendar days following publication of this notice in the Vail Daily. The publication date in the Vail Daily, the newspaper of record, is the exclusive means for calculating the comment period. The regulations prohibit extending the length of the comment period.
Written comments must be submitted via mail, fax, electronically, or in person (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding holidays) to Aaron W. Mayville, District Ranger, o/c Paula K. Peterson, Project Leader, P.O. Box 190, Minturn, CO 81645, FAX: 970-827-9343, Electronic comments including attachments can be submitted to https://cara.ecosystem-management.org/Public//CommentInput?Project=50479.
Matt Kroschel covers news throughout Colorado working from the CBS4 Mountain Newsroom. Send story ideas to mrkroschel@cbs.com and connect with him on Twitter @Matt_Kroschel.
